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CCR, Garzón Demand Information From DOJ Regarding Status of Criminal Investigation of Julian Assange and Wikileaks in the U.S.

press@ccrjustice.org

October 11, 2012, NEW YORK – Today, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Baltasar Garzón, counsel to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, sent a letter to United States Attorney General Eric Holder seeking information about the status of any criminal investigations of Julian Assange or WikiLeaks by the Department of Justice.

The letter demands information about whether a grand jury empaneled in the Eastern District of Virginia is considering charges against Julian Assange or other WikiLeaks officials under the Espionage Act of 1917 for publishing diplomatic cables and other documents exposing U.S. hypocrisy and criminality. The letter also asks if the U.S. government is considering detaining Mr. Assange under the National Defense Authorization Act provisions which purportedly authorize indefinite military detention of individuals accused of providing "substantial support" to suspected terrorist organizations.

The government of Ecuador has granted Mr. Assange diplomatic asylum because of the risk of persecution he faces if ultimately extradited to the United States.

The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South, CCR is a non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.